Chapter 84: Chapter 62: Miniature Spiritual Ore, Baby-eating Mink Revealed (2)

Liou Yuan calculated that nearly ten children had disappeared from Yongquan Town.

In the cellar before them, there were only about twenty children under the age of eight.

"Only targeting children under eight, it must be the Baby-eating Mink."

"These people have been living under the protection of the Five Extremes Mountain for too long and have become too lax; they should have reported it to the sect sooner."

Liou Yuan’s eyes swept over the children.

Six- or seven-year-olds already have some awareness and know what has happened in the town, undoubtedly living in constant fear.

There are no highly cultivated cultivators in town, only that old village elder, who in his youth practiced a cultivation technique left by an Outer Sect disciple of Five Extremes Mountain, and now he’s only at Qi Cultivation Third Layer.

"Damn beast, you all don’t need to worry, my junior brother Liou Yuan and I will soon obliterate this creature," Qiu Ming cursed.

His voice was loud, but he didn’t say anything particularly useful for the current situation.

He was good at fighting but overestimated his ability to think strategically.

Liou Yuan didn’t expect much from him and was slightly displeased at being called ’junior brother,’ so he shot him a look and asked the old village elder leaning on his cane ahead, "Old Elder, how long has it been since the last child disappeared?"

The elder was over eighty. Although his Breathing Skill wasn’t high, it kept him from appearing too old, at least not senile.

Upon hearing this, he sighed deeply and said, "Not three days yet."

"According to that beast’s feeding pattern, the next move will be within a day or two," Liou Yuan recalled the information he’d received from the townsfolk and pondered for a moment, reaching a conclusion.

"Is the town’s array maintained by you, Elder?"

Liou Yuan asked the elder again.

Yongquan Town had only this one cultivator as the elder, who quickly nodded.

"Can you sense where the creature breaks through the array?" Liou Yuan asked again.

"At the Kan Position!" the elder replied with unwavering certainty.

"Has it always entered the town through the Kan Position?"

"Yes! The arrays in other directions show no signs of being broken."

"Are there strong men guarding the Kan Position in town?"

"Naturally, there are."

"Have they always been there?"

"They have never been withdrawn."

Liou Yuan nodded slightly at this, unobtrusively brushing his nose.

Seven or eight oil lamps were lit in the cellar, and the smell of tung oil was so strong that his clothes absorbed the pungent odor.

After cultivating Yunwu Prefecture, Liou Yuan’s five senses were much sharper than ordinary cultivation, making even the slightest smell noticeable, which he found uncomfortable. 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

"Senior Brother Qiu Ming," Liou Yuan suddenly called out.

Being called ’senior brother’ took Qiu Ming by surprise, but remembering he had called Liou Yuan ’junior brother’ earlier, he awkwardly laughed and responded, "Yes?"

"Stay here and protect these children; I’m going out for a bit," Liou Yuan said, standing up and patting Qiu Ming’s shoulder before sweeping his gaze over the townsfolk around them.

He leaned down and whispered, "The beast hasn’t left the town; it’s hiding somewhere."

"Keep your eyes on the children and don’t let anyone touch them."

"Rest assured," Qiu Ming nodded solemnly.

Only then did Liou Yuan feel at ease, climbing the steps out of the cellar onto the snow-covered ground.

He cast his gaze around and his nose twitched again.

The intense tung oil smell in the cellar had almost dulled his sense of smell, but now that he was outside, he felt better.

Upon reaching the surface, he caught a faint musky odor in the air.

The scent was subtle but couldn’t escape Liou Yuan’s nose.

This was why he was so certain the Baby-eating Mink was still in the town; it was its unique scent, impossible to disguise.

"As long as the damn thing is still in town, it can be managed," Liou Yuan murmured to himself and then headed confidently towards the center of Yongquan Town.

He didn’t understand arrays and had only used it as an excuse to come out alone.

Once he reached the town center and took out the Fixed Star Compass, it could cover almost the entire town, making it impossible for the Baby-eating Mink to hide.

With Qiu Ming safeguarding the place and his strength, Liou Yuan was reassured.

Inside the cellar.

After Liou Yuan left, Qiu Ming shielded the children with his large body, intentionally or not, keeping them away from the townsfolk.

He didn’t know why Liou Yuan had told him not to let people touch the children.

But out of trust in Liou Yuan, he followed the instruction.

Qiu Ming wasn’t a thinker, but he did have the good sense to follow orders.

Regardless of his cultivation, Qiu Ming’s imposing physique was intimidating enough; with his big eyes glaring around, no one dared to approach.

Meanwhile, Liou Yuan was standing atop a snow-covered rooftop.

Flipping his hand, the Fixed Star Compass appeared, radiating starlight.

He looked around, confirming the position was optimal, and then began to chant the activation incantation for the Fixed Star Compass.

"Between Xu and Wei, the needle path is clear, the Southern Zhang Constellation rides three degrees..."

As he finished the last word, the Fixed Star Compass activated.

Starlight surged upon the compass, ultimately forming a map of Yongquan Town.

The map was a miniature version of the town, with every brick and tile and each building identical to those in Yongquan Town.

At the instant the map materialized, Liou Yuan noticed something unusual.

His eyes fixed sharply on a corner of the map where starlight converged.

There, a pinpoint of blue-black light flickered.

Unlike the starlight of the Star Evil, which emanated a sinister, nauseating aura, this blue-black glow emitted an air of ferocity.